How To Save A Life
by SuburbanDisneyPrincess
Summary: Alternate ending to The Boiling Point: All Falls Down. Clare's quick decision might leave Eli in a situation similar to the one with Julia... can he handle another traumatizing event like that?  Rated T for language. Please Read! DISCONTINUED
1. And Down I Fall

**Okay, I am a terrible Fan Fiction author for not continuing my stories…. Rose Underground will most likely not continue for while due to writers block. Secrets of the Moon will continue soon (I promise!) as will Bloodlines. But I got the idea for this story so please enjoy! This is my alternate ending to Degrassi: The Boiling Point's finale "All Falls Down." R&R! Disclaimer: I do not own anything except the storyline of this fan fiction!**

Chapter 1: And Down I Fall

I saw Eli's shadowed figure from down the hall. My heart leapt to see he that was still alive. I ran to him in a panic and pulled his headphones out of his ears. He gave me a confused look.

"Come with me. Fitz has a knife," I said breathing heavily in a stern panic. Nothing but a blank stare in return. What is he thinking? Didn't he hear what I just said?

"This is where we run! Let's go!" I said more angrily.

"I'm not gonna let that jerk scare me," Eli said in a calm tone. I didn't understand what he was getting at! I can't let Fitz kill him!

"He has a knife-" fear overwhelmed me when I heard Fitz cut in.

"Aw, don't you two look cute," Eli and I turned to look at Fitz as he approached. I could see the knife in his hand as I shined in the moonlight that came through the windows.

"You should go," I said, my words shaking with the horror I felt for Eli.

"And let that pretty boy make time with my date?" Fitz asked calmly.

"Please Fitz, don't do this-"

"Shut up, b***," Fitz shouted at me. It feels like just moments ago I was telling Eli that Fitz wasn't the monster he thought he was. But this was proving me more wrong than I've ever been.

"Get away from me," Eli said quietly, pushing me towards the lockers. My feet followed his orders, but my heart wanted to stand by him. I don't care what a jerk he's been. I care about Eli. When I said he deserves whatever Fitz does, I didn't think it would be death.

"Look, I'm sorry about before, about everything… you win." Eli said, backing up towards the glass doors. My heart was pounding… all I could think about was Eli, falling to the ground with a knife through his chest… I couldn't bear to hold onto that image.

"I've heard that one before," Fitz said, shoving Eli back. I wanted to help, to stop this. I stepped forward at an attempt, than stopped myself.

"Stop I'm serious," Eli whispered. He tried to stay calm, but I could sense the fear in his words.

"Yeah, so am I," Fitz said with anger, shoving Eli back again. I didn't want to see what would happen next.

"You've had this coming for a while." What Fitz said filled me with guilt, like this was my fault: I had wished this upon Eli… but not like this… I had to stop this.

"What's wrong, emo-boy? Out of smart-ass comments?" Fitz said, pushing Eli into the glass door. I starting hypervenalating, scared for the both of us.

"Fitz… Please don't do this," Eli pleaded as Fitz cornered him between the lockers and the door.

"Someone's gotta shut you up," Fitz held the knife at the ready, about to pierce it into Eli… and in that split second before it was to late, I saw so much flash before my eyes: when Eli ran over my glasses with his hearse, when he convinced me to scream in public, when we kissed as Romeo and Juliet, when we kissed in the library… and when I left him at the punch table, not knowing that this was to come. I couldn't say goodbye to him, not here. I ran and threw myself in front of him… and I screamed as the knife went into my side.

"Clare!" Eli shouted. I crumpled to the floor. My eyes began to flicker but I could see a horrified expression on both Eli and Fitz's faces.

"What the hell?" Fitz shouted, pulling the knife out in a state of shock.

"What have you done?" I heard Eli shout at Fitz in a murderous tone. He held me in his arms on the ground. I felt blood pouring from where the knife was.

"I… I wasn't really going to stab you! I just wanted to scare you!" Fitz yelled back.

"Freeze where you are!" I struggled to open my eyes to see where the voice came from. A police officer shined her flashlight on Fitz and his arms shot up.

"Clare? Can you hear me? Are you breathing?" Eli asked in a panic. I forced a small nod.

"Oh God, get the paramedics!" The officer shouted down the hall to her backup. I saw her push Fitz up against the lockers and handcuffed him. I heard footsteps approaching.

"Take him." She said to another officer. Fitz and the other officer's footsteps trailed off.

"Clare, please stay with me. Don't leave me like this…" Eli said in a choked-up tone. My eyes flickered again but I felt so weak… I saw tears in his eyes as the officer bent down to his level.

"It'll be okay, paramedics are coming." She said, placing a hand on Eli's shoulder. My breathing became heavier and harder… I couldn't hold on for much longer… I could hear the paramedics rushing down the long hallway.

"Clare… please… I… I need to tell you-" Eli began… but darkness cut him off as my body went limp…


	2. Reliving the Pain

**Thank you so much to everyone for reviewing and faving my story! You guys rock! Please enjoy chapter 2!**

Chapter 2: Reliving the Pain

I stared in shock as the paramedics took Clare away on a stretcher. It was more painful to watch the blood pour from her side than hearing the news about Julia's death. I pushed myself of the ground to come face to face with the female cop.

"What's happened here, son?" She asked in a serious monotone.

"Me and the guy back there, Mark Fitzgerald, didn't exactly see eye to eye. I played a seemingly harmless prank on him and… he wanted to get back at me by scaring me. He never wanted to hurt anyone but Clare, the girl, didn't know that. She risked her life for… mine," I choked out. The cop nodded in an understanding response.

"Where are they taking her?"

"The hospital a few blocks away… You want to go and make sure she's alright?" the cop asked.

"Yes," I said quietly. I need to see Clare… to tell her how much I care about her.

"Well then…" the cop began as she gestured to me.

"Eli… Goldsworthy."

"Well Eli, I'll make sure that you'll be allowed to see your friend."

"Thank you." I replied. I watched the cop walk down the long, dark hall and turn right, probably headed for the exit. I have to get to the hospital now… I should tell Adam…

I ran through the halls of Degrassi looking for him. Once back at the entrance of the school, I found Adam standing with his mother.

"Adam," I said taking him by the arm a step away from his mother.

"Eli, you okay? Where's Clare?" Adam asked. He looked pretty worried too.

"Fitz stabbed Clare. We need to go _now_. We have to get to the hospital." I explained in a panicked tone. Adam stared back at me with fear.

"We have to go then." Adam said with a stiff nod.

"Go _where_?" Ms. Torres bursted in. I honestly was not her biggest fan…

"Mom, my friend was stabbed and I need to go make sure she's okay!" Adam said heading for the door. I began to follow.

"Oh, no you don't!" She shouted, pulling Adam back by his arm. "Your brother is somewhere in the school looking for you. When he comes back, we are _leaving_ and going _home_. I will not let you run around town with this freakish delinquent to find your 'little friend'" What the hell did I do to make her call me a "freakish delinquent?

"MOM! I don't care what you think of my friends! I'm going!" Adam yelled as he shoved his mom out of the way and rammed out the door… My best bet was to follow him. Cop cars lined the building… but no ambulance in sight… they must have gotten Clare and gotten out of here.

"Where'd you park Morty?" Adam asked. I pointed over to the parking lot and he took of in a run towards the vintage hearse. I feel like my own car was a bad omen for Clare's life.

"Adam, that was really brave back there… what you said to your mom," I said unlocking the car and getting in.

"Thanks," Adam said, shuffling into the passenger seat and buckling in. "So, what happened exactly?" I had been in such a rush that I didn't get to fully reflect on what happened… I thought back to the incident as we took off down the road.

"Fitz cornered me and Clare… I pushed her aside and waited for the worst to come. But… I didn't expect her to jump in front of me…" I began. Adam gasped. Clare's scream when the knife pierced her still rang in my ears…

"Then when he swung the knife… it stabbed her. It should have been me…"

"Where did it stab her? Do you think she's okay?" Adam asked quietly.

"She passed out… I don't know if she's okay… I can't lose her… not like…" I took a deep breath. "Not like I lost Julia. Me and Julia had broken up in the fight… she dumped me, so I still cared about her, so I felt guilty about her death. In this case… Clare was dying in my arms…" I felt my eyes begin to water again. I tried to focus on the road.

"Eli, calm down. Here, pull over." Adam instructed. I followed his orders and pulled over onto a patch of grass.

"I _love _Clare, Adam. I can't let her die… because of me." I forced out. A tear rolled down my cheek. "It's like Julia all over again… but worse. This hurts twice as much or even more. I never loved Julia like I love Clare…"

"Take a deep breath, Eli." Adam said, placing a hand on my shoulder. His eyes looked like he wanted to shed a tear as well. "If you care about Clare as much as you say you do, then you'll relax, focus, and get to the hospital!"

"You're… you're right," I mumbled. I wiped the tears from my eyes and drove off the patch of grass. I thought of Clare, happy and healthy, and well… not dead. I saw the road clearly and sped towards the hospital. Adam would usually have warned me about speeding, but I didn't think he cared too much right now.

**P.S. just a shout out to all my readers and to the reviews: thank you so much =) it means a lot to know you like reading my story! I luv you all! **


	3. The Hospital

**Yay! I actually pushed myself to write chapter 3! Has anyone else seen the new promo 4 the breaking point? It was leaked yesterday. So anyway to answer a few of the same questions, yes, the title and the story is inspired by the song "How to Save a Life" by the Fray. Now that that's clear as crystal, let's get on with the story!**

Chapter 3: The Hospital

"Can I help you?" A curly haired nurse asked from behind the front desk.

"We would like to see Clare Edwards. She was just brought here." I struggled to say.

"Names?"

"Elijah Goldsworthy and Adam Torres. A police officer back at out school said that…" I glanced at Adam. He gave me a pretend-I-got-permission-too-even-though-I-wasn't-there look. "That we could see her." The nurse just looked at me for a moment.

"Room 4 on your right." She finally said, gesturing to a long hallway. We followed her instructions. When we were two doors down… I froze.

"Eli? You alright?" Adam asked. My hands shook a bit.

"I don't know if I want to see her…"

"What are you saying? Not this again! Dude, face it, you love Clare and your too chicken to go see her in critical condition!" Adam fired back. He shouldn't have said that. Shouting in a hospital isn't good, but shouting back would have been worse.

"I'm not chicken…" I mumbled. Adam scoffed.

"Okay, whatever you say. But prove it then. Say you really do love her and you're going to march into that room right now!" Adam jeered. Okay he needs to stop shouting in a medical facility.

"Fine. I _love _Clare. Now would you stop yelling? There are sick people here. They don't need to hear your loud voice. Now lets go." I said pulling Adam forward by his arm. He gave me a quick glance. I could see his satisfied smirk.

But I realized Adam was right… I am chicken. I'm afraid whether Clare will… live… or not… As we approached Room 4, I felt myself begin to shake again. My trembling hand reached for the door handle. Adam nudged my shoulder to open the door. I counted down quickly in my head. Three, two, one! I pushed the door open, revealing a motionless Clare. She was hooked up to all these weird machines. Adam glanced at her, than sat down in one of the three chairs in the corner. Her cross necklace shined in the dim light. I walked up to her bedside. The heart monitor beeped at a steady pace, thank God. I gently stroked her cheek. Her soft, pale skin felt cold… dead…

"Wow. She's unconscious and I still feel like a third-wheel." Adam joked from the corner. I couldn't be annoyed with Adam. He's just trying to lighten the depressing mood. I heard the door click open.

"Oh. Hello there. I didn't know Miss Edwards had guests." A girl, probably in her 20s with long, flowing black hair said softly as she entered the room.

"I'm Adam." He said with a slight nod.

"And you?" the girl said.

"E-Eli." I stuttered.

"I'm Miss Edwards 'hospital guardian' as I like to call it. I come and check on her every hour or so. Oh and my name is Julia by the way." She said… _Julia_? _Really_? Adam stiffened when he saw the contemplated expression on my face.

"Well… I better get going… See you boys in an hour." _Julia_ said. I watched as she left the small room.

"_Julia_? That really had to be her name?" I ranted. " This night is seriously turning out to be a giant smack-in-the-face!"

"Well, I'm just glad she referred to me as a boy. My mom said that this tux made me look 'feminine.'" Adam murmured.

"You really have to stop listening to your mom. She's kind of… cruel." I said in a serious tone.

"Trust me, I know." Adam said. I dragged my feat over to the chair next to him. I kept my eyes on Clare.

"What time is it?" I asked keeping my eyes glued to hers, even though hers were closed.

"11:42." Adam yawned. My eyes began to flicker, but I fought the urge to fall asleep. I wanted to be awake for when… or if Clare wakes up. I heard a few angry murmurs from beyond the door, followed by silence. Then, it opened. Two adults entered the room, a man and a woman. Their eyes wandered and landed on me and Adam.

"Who are you two?" The man asked coldly.

"C-Clare's friends…" Adam said in a shaky voice.

"What do you mean Clare's friends? My daughter's friend must be of… 'Higher quality'…" the man began until the woman hit him on the arm. She held out her hand to me.

"I'm Mrs. Edwards, Clare's mother." She said kindly.

"Eli Goldsworthy. Pleasure to meet you." I said with a smile, shaking her hand.

"Oh," she said with a grin as she brushed her brown hair out of her face. "You're the boy Clare always talks about. And you must be Adam." She said reaching over to shake Adam's hand. Adam nodded and shook her hand as well…. So Clare talks about me at home?

"She says you two are very sweet and great friends," Mrs. Edwards said.

"Well, she is a great friend to us as well." Adam said, giving me a halfhearted smile.


	4. Approval

**OMG Degrassi is so amazing! Sorry I haven't updated in a while but here is the greatly anticipated chapter 4!

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Chapter 4: Approval

Mr. Edwards kept giving Adam these strange looks, and Adam kept looking at me with an uncomfortable reaction to Mr. Edwards.

"So Mr. Goldsworthy, can you please explain to me how my daughter ended up in here?" He asked, sharply turning his head to face me. His beady eyes pierced my heart.

"Y-yes sir," I stuttered, "It all started with this bully by the name of Mark Fitzgerald. He picked on me and our friend Adam here. The small fights, in which Clare responsibly stayed out of, lead to the incident that happened tonight. He planned on scaring me into thinking he would stab me, but Clare and I didn't know that… so, when he swung the knife back to fake us out, she jumped in front of me… to save me…" tears fell from Mrs. Edwards eyes and I could feel mine begin to water. Mr. Edwards just looked frustrated and a bit worried. Adam put his hand on my shoulder.

"So… this is all your fault?" Mr. Edwards said to me. I felt my heart drop and mind go dark…. All… my _fault_? Mrs. Edwards gasped at his words.

"Sir, I don't mean to come off rude or anything, but I don't appreciate you talking to my friend that way!" Adam said standing…. But what if Mr. Edwards was right?

"Excuse me? I don't think you should speak to me like that, young… child…" Mr. Edwards said confused.

"_Child?_" Adam sneered. Holy shit… Adam's pissed! Mr. Edwards stuttered a bit.

"Why didn't you say _young man_, or were you thinking of saying _girl_?" Adam shouted.

"Adam, please, calm down. Clare is unconscious and fighting with her dad wont help." I said, now placing my hand on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath and sat down. Mrs. Edwards turned to her husband.

"You should go." She whispered. He gave her an angry look and stormed out of the room.

"Thank you," I said quietly. She smiled in response.

"You seem to care very much about my daughter," She said calmly, looking from Clare back to me.

"I… I do… a lot. She's one of my only two real friends," I said, looking over at Clare's limp body.

"Are you sure you to are… only friends? If not, I won't explode at you like he would," Mrs. Edwards said gesturing to the door. I hesitated then gave a small nod.

"Even with that, Eli and I would have done anything to prevent this from happening to Clare. She's important to us." Adam said, calming himself down.

"Well, I think you are a fine boy for my daughter, Eli. And Adam, Clare is very lucky to have you as a friend." She said with a smile as she stood up and left the room. I shivered a bit as I took a closer look at Clare. She was still wearing her black and white dress from the dance and the gash from the knife was still noticeable.

"Well, at least one parent approves of you," Adam joked.

"Even if they, or she, didn't, that wouldn't change how I feel about Clare." I said.

"Well, you'd do anything for her. And I am positive that she'd take a bullet for you… or in this case…. A... knife…" With Adam's words, I felt the tears coming back.

"Sorry…" He said sadly, noticing my state of remorse.

"It's okay… I just hope she makes it…. I need to tell her how I feel-" I was cut off by the quiet buzzing of a cell phone. Adam pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"It's from Alli. She wants to know what's happened and where Clare is." Adam said.

"You can tell her, she deserves to know," I replied. I watched as he answered her text.

"Oh, I also have an unread one from Drew… uh-oh…."

"What?" I asked.

"My mom is going to kill me when I get home…"

"Will staying overnight at a hospital make her even angrier?" I asked.

"Hmm…. Probably. So sure, I'm up to staying!" Adam said happily. I checked the wall clock for the time: 12:32am. I hope Clare will wake up soon. The door handle clicked again. A doctor, along with Clare's parents entered the room.

"Please, take a seat," the doctor said. We all did as we were told.

"There is some good news… and some bad news…"

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**Don't forget to fave, review, and tell your friends! xD**


	5. The Awakening

**How long has it actually been since i updated this? Sorry for the rediculously long wait! I was working on some new stories (so please go read them: Here I Go Again (Glee) and Peter Returns (2003 Peter Pan). So here is chapter 5 after the longest wait EVER. ENJOY :) and PLEASE REVIEW!**

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Chapter 5: The Awakening

I was horrified. What could the bad news possibly be? I mean thank the lord-i-don't-believe-in that there is good news, but how good can it really be?

"Well," the doctor began. "The good news is that Clare _is _going to live." And with those words, the world grew brighter. Clare wasn't dead. She would be alive and well soon enough. And all I will have to do it wait...

"Then what is the bad news?" Mr. Edwards asked. It was easy to tell that he too was relieved that his daughter will live. Of course, just go ahead and ruin the happy moment, Mr. E.

"The bad news is that we noticed from our tests that she must have hit her head pretty hard at some point. Besides the large loss of blood and the gash below her ribcage, which will be easy to fix up, she might wake up with amnesia," the doctor said very monotone. I gasped. _Amnesia?_ But how? When did she hit her head... And then the flashback played in my mind: including sound. I remembered her scream again when she was stabbed and how she feel to the floor. The hard ground provided a direct blow to the back of her head. And it sure looked painful...

"H-how bad will it be?" Mrs. Edwards asked, noticeably concerned.

"It isn't 100% definite that she will have amnesia, but there is a good chance. It is hard to tell if it will be long term or short term or even how severe it is."

Adam looked worried and scared. I knew this whole thing was probably hard for him too. Clare was his only other friend... but what if she didn't remember our friendship?

"I better go call Darcy and tell her what's happened," Mrs. Edwards said, taking Mr. Edwards hand and exiting the room with him. The doctor followed them out.

"_Amnesia_," I mumbled over and over.

"Eli, it's going to be okay. Clare is going to live. You'll be able to finally tell her how you feel! Cheer up!" and there Adam goes again, trying to lighten the mood. I tried to happy, but I kept thinking what would happen if Clare didn't remember me...

The door clicked open. _Julia _entered with a half-hearted smile.

"Hey guys. Is everything okay?" she asked sweetly.

"Yeah, we're good." Adam replied. He knew I couldn't really talk right now. I was too busy gazing at Clare, awaiting the moment when she will wake up.

"Good," she smiled. "Sorry i can't stay and chat. I got another patient to check on. See you guys in about an hour!" And with that she shuffled out of the room.

"I wonder how long it'll be before she wakes up-" before Adam could finish his though, I swear I saw Clare move. Adam gasped and focused on her fragile body lying the bed. I saw her hand flinch and her eyes closed tighter for a moment. I started breathing heavier... _she was waking up_. I felt my heart soar when her eyes flickered open.

"Clare!" I exclaimed. A smile fell upon my face. Adam lit up too... until we noticed something... something off...

"Clare? How are you feeling?" Adam asked. She merely looked around the room. She seemed to be lost in a daze... and seemed to be very confused.

"Clare? Can you hear me?" I asked, now with a bit of panic.

"Where am I? And who are you?" she asked. I felt sharp, cold pain rush through my body with her words... She looked like she was going to cry. I felt my eyes well up with tears as she opened to speak again. You could her the sadness, confusion, and panic in her voice:

"And who am I? Why don't I remember anything?"


End file.
